Percy Jackson and the Fairytales: Down the Rabbit Hole)
Percy's head hurt.
The aching pain throbbing in the back of his skull kept his movements minimal and eyes narrowed as he slowly took stock of his situation.
He was lying in what appeared to be a pile of trash bags. Uncomfortable pieces of metal and plastic poked and prodded at his back. He tried to shift into a more uncomfortable position but his hand fell upon something squishy and moist. Admitting defeat to the pile of garbage Percy opted instead to slowly take in his surrounding area from his mound of rubbish. He lay in an alley, it was late at night, and further down the alley was a neon sign. The neon sign glowed above a closed door with the simple words "open" written in fluorescent green and reds.
Percy searched his brain to try and think of why he ended up with a massive headache and the revolting companionship of garbage. He screwed his eyes shut, but nothing came to mind. In fact, the further and further he tried to go back nothing popped up. There were no memories in his head.
Percy's eyes shot open in a sudden urgency. Did he have amnesia? Did he sustain some sort of head injury? Why could he remember his own name and nothing else?
No answers found him in the garbage pile, and Percy doubted the likely hood that the situation would change if he remained. Percy did the only thing left to do and stood up.
Immediately he regretted his decision, his whole body screamed at him, his joints flared up and his muscles ached like he'd run a marathon carrying a heavy backpack.
Fighting through the pain Percy staggered towards the opposite wall and supported himself against the cold bricks. He turned and leaned his back on the wall so that he could take stock of himself.
He was wearing faded jeans with numerous rips and holes in them. The holes didn't appear to be the store bought kind, and some of them looked suspiciously like burn holes. His shirt was plain, white, and relatively dirty. Percy judged from the look (and smell) of his own clothing that he hadn't been laying in that garbage heap for long.
Percy felt the pockets of his jeans, nothing, great. Not only was he amnesiac in the middle of an alley, but he had no identification or money of any kind.
Was he homeless?
Maybe. Percy decided that it was just as likely as any other scenario.
Going forward Percy surmised that he had two options, exit the alleyway and figure out where on earth he was, or forge deeper and investigate the door with the "open" sign.
Percy decided that he would exit the alley, he had only taken two steps towards the opening and into the city when he heard voices and conversation nearby. Without knowing why Percy pressed himself up against the brick wall and a feeling of dread reached his stomach. He managed to catch pieces of their conversation.
"He's around here somewhere, I can smell 'im"
"Garbage, that's all you ever smell"
"Garbage, and blood"
Their voices were deep and guttural, with a strange quality that Percy could only describe as monstrous. Backing away from the voices, Percy didn't even notice the figure that snuck up behind him until he felt a hand on his shoulder.
He would've screamed like a little girl if a hand didn't immediately cover his mouth and block any noise. A figure appeared in his vision and a whisper quietly reached his ears. "Come with me if you want to live, and don't make a sound"
The voice was masculine and youthful, and bright blue eyes shown from a face otherwise obscured by black head wrappings. Deciding that he had no other choice, Percy nodded fearfully and followed the stranger.
The stranger led him down the alley, toward the neon sign. Percy followed, fearful adrenaline had overridden his pained body.
The stranger halted underneath the sign and turned to face Percy, the stranger pulled away some of his head wrappings, revealing a handsome, elegant face. "I know you must have only questions right now, but you're going to have to be patient for this next part, it might get incredibly weird"
"Weird?" Was all Percy was allowed to ask before the stranger pulled the door open and pushed Percy inside.
Tobias took a cautious look at the alleyway entrance, and just as two dark figures seemed to enter the alleyway he shut the door behind him. Turning, Tobias let out a small sigh of annoyance as he saw Percy with his mouth slack-jawed and eyes wide as he stood in the entrance way of the pub interior.
Percy could only gaze in mute shock as he looked around the pub. While the interior of the building seemed normal, the patrons were not. Animals of various shapes and sizes dressed in old fashioned clothing. Percy saw a badger in a fine coat with a cane busy arguing with an eccentric looking toad. Knights in armor roared in laughter around a table in the corner. The bartender, who looked like some sort of demon with bat wings and fiery eyes. Percy wished he could stop and gawk more but Tobias had other plans.
"Come on, like I said I'll answer your questions later" Tobias pushed Percy through the crowded pub, past several tables full of the usual patrons and a crowded bar.
"Is that a leprechaun" Percy stammered as he was ushered through a door into the private room.
"Like I said, it'll be weird"
The private room was empty of others, with simple furnishings and a simple, round table in the center. Around the table we're ornate wooden chairs, Tobias prompted Percy to take a seat, with Tobias sitting on the complete opposite.
Now that Percy and Tobias were facing eachother, Tobias lifted an inviting hand. "Now, you can ask questions"
"Who are you?"
"Tobias Grimm, you can call me Toby"
"Where are we?"
"New York, Staten Island"
"No, I mean, what is this place?"
"The Rabbit Hole Pub"
Percy struggled to comprehend the events of the last few moments, finding that it was impossible for him to put into words any of his actual questions. Toby saw this and began to explain.
"Alright Percy, I know this must be all new and completely weird to you, but how much do you know about fairytales?"
"Like, Cinderella?"
"Yes like that"
"I don't know, I saw the Disney movies I guess"
"Well what if I were to tell you that it was all true?"
"The Disney movies?"
"No the Fairytales!"
Percy began to process this newfound information. Suddenly so many things he saw in the room he walked into made sense.
"Okay then." Percy breathed a sigh of relief and relaxed ever so slightly.
"That's it?" Now it was Toby's turn to be confused. "Normally people tend to be in more disbelief about the whole thing"
Percy shrugged. "I guess I'm a more open minded guy" was all he could offer in his defense.
A thoughtful look crossed Toby's face. "How much do you know about yourself then?"
"Just my name". Percy concentrated once more on anything personal that he could remember. "Yah, just my name". He concluded in defeat.
"Percy." Toby stated. Said Percy jumped in his chair and gripped the armrests tightly.
"How do you know that?" Percy asked, his eyes narrowed and the hairs on the back of his neck tingled with caution.
"The two scumrags outside the alleyway were talking about you. I was tracking them and I figured I'd have to get to you before they did". Toby explained in a simple fashion.
"And who were those guys exactly?" Percy asked
"I don't know their names or anything, but they're werewolves. You know, hunt for blood, smell stuff, full moon, all of that." Toby explained as Percy's eyes widened.
"What would werewolves want with me?" The question sounded so surreal, Percy realized. Yet strangely, it didn't feel disturbing or unusual to him. The lack of disturbance however disturbed Percy, why was he taking all of this in stride?
He felt something in his jeans pocket, he reached into it and felt a ballpoint pen.
"Well that's exactly what I'm going to try and figure out." Toby grinned excitedly. "We're going to the Lodge!"
Percy took a glance at the simple ballpoint pen in his hand, he decided to investigate that mystery later. He stood to follow Toby, who was standing in front of a large floor length mirror on the far wall.
"Wait, is that like a magic mirror?" Percy asked, and if he wasn't so confused and worried he might've been excited.
"You're catching on quickly Percy". Toby grinned at him. Without another word, he grabbed Percy's arm and stepped through the mirror.
What happened next was the strangest experience of Percy's life.
Well, that he knew of.
He was falling, and all that he could see were the strangest of images, wild colors and vivid hallucinations made Percy question if he wasn't on some type of mind-bending drug. He saw wild colors and heard incredible sounds in his fall, he didn't know how long he was falling, it could've been a minute or an hour. Time seemed to forget it's stately waltz and instead jumped into an erratic breakdance.
Percy hit the floor.
Dazed and incredibly confused (not that it was a new feeling for him) he looked around again.
The floor was cold and stone, grey in color, and the room felt a great deal craftier. Percy pushed himself into a stand to study his new surroundings. Unlike the pub, the room Percy now found himself in was dark, lit by a series of torches which hung from the wall around the room. To Percy it seemed like he was in the inside of a castle, which shouldn't have been possible. A wooden door stood at the far end of the room, which itself was moderately sized. Percy did a quick check for Toby.
Toby was engaged in conversation to a giant.
The man stood well over what appeared to be six feet tall, he wore a simple button up flannel shirt and clean jeans. On his feet he wore work boots, and in his hand was a large hammer. Like a sledgehammer if the head of the hammer was almost he size of a basketball.
Percy also took the time to get a proper look at his new friend Toby. Toby looked almost like a ninja, he wore a black tunic with dark grey pants and black boots. Around his waist was a simple string belt with a small brown pouch tied onto one end. Toby himself looked to be a youth no older than Percy, with a clean cut of blonde hair that was just a little messy at the top. The giant of a man holding the hammer had dark skin the color of coffee beans and a stern face.
"And this is Percy, found him outside the Rabbit Hole". Toby gestured to Percy. Percy gave another start at being suddenly included in whatever conversation was being had. The giant turned his gaze towards Percy and looked him up and down. Percy felt himself shaking a little as the man's critical gaze swept over him. The giant suddenly broke into a comforting smile and extended a hand.
"Mirror travel can be pretty crazy on your first time can't it?" The man's voice was deep, yet soothing at the same time. Percy felt himself relax as he took the man's hand, and he felt a smile himself.
"Well anyway Percy, this is John Henry."
The name felt familiar to Percy, like he had heard of it a long time ago, but he couldn't quite grasp it.
"Doubt he's heard of lil ol' me" John let out a jolly chuckle. As the chuckling subsided John's face grew more serious. "Alright Toby, the council is ready for you, they await you and Percy here at the table."
Toby's smile flashed into nervousness territory, an act which didn't go unnoticed by Percy.
"Alright Percy, if you were confused before, just wait until you meet them". Toby started off towards a heavy wooden door at the far end of the room.
"Meet who?"
"The Council of course"
Percy noticed that Toby's mood had visibly shifted, he seemed more nervous and wary. If Toby was nervous, that made Percy doubly so. Toby opened the heavy looking door and pushed on through into a hallway, Percy followed.
Without having seen the exterior of whatever building they were in, Percy could safely say that the castle was extravagant. The fine stone that comprised the structure was smooth and shiny, torches decorated all the hallways, and thick rugs marked the paths. On the walls hung all manner of decorations Percy guessed could be found in a castle, swords, shields, other weapons, tapestries, the heads of various animals, and banners with a multitude of designs.
Percy had never been in a castle before, to his knowledge that is, so he walked a little slower than Toby. While Percy marveled at the weaponry and tapestries Toby forged on ahead.
Percy stopped in front of one tapestry in particular. The woven tapestry depicted a bridge. On the bridge were two figures, one was what looked to be a young man with dark hair wielding a bronze sword, the other was a large and imposing figure decked out in black armor. Percy stared at the tapestry and felt a sense of familiarity and dread in his stomach. Or maybe he was hungry.
"Come on, you'll have time for the Hall of Prophecies later." Percy snapped out of his reverie and turned to see Toby, who was also intently studying the tapestry.
"Hall of Prophecies?" Percy asked.
"Yup, woven prophecies." Toby nodded. Percy's gaze went back to the tapestry with a new appreciation for its gravitas.
"So this is the future?" Percy asked.
"You're a bright one." Toby said quietly under his breath, but Percy didn't seem to hear him. "Anyway, we have to get to the briefing room, the council is waiting."
The hallways had absolutely nothing on the "debriefing room" as Toby had called it.
Percy had followed Toby into the large room. Unlike the hallways, the stone in this room was a black polished marble. The shape was an octagon, the ceiling arced high into the distance, with the ceiling disappearing into the darkness. On one side of the room an ornate fireplace was engraved into the wall with a roaring orange flame dancing within.
The rooms only furnishings were another round, heavy wooden table with accompanying chairs. Percy guessed that the table could seat at least thirty people around it, but then again he was terrible at math, right?
Toby had taken a seat on one end of the table, and prompted Percy to sit next to him, which Percy obeyed. Then Percy noticed that they were not alone.
Seated opposite of the pair were three figures. The first on the left was an elderly man with a long white beard, Percy thought he looked like a classical wizard, like a Gandalf or a Dumbledore.
The man on the right wore the same type of tunic that Toby had, but his face was unobscured. He was a handsome man with a hat on his head that had a single red feather in it. This man was engaged in conversation with the wizard.
Finally the man in the middle. He also wore a black tunic, and he had a large bushy beard that was dark in color. His eyes glinted dangerously, and Percy shuddered when he realized that the man was staring directly at him.
"So, uh, my name's Percy?"
Percy regretted speaking as soon as he closed his mouth, all conversation in the room ceased and all eyes were on him. Beardman's gaze had hardened. Featherhat's expression was unreadable, and the wizard only had a curious smile.
Toby gave him a look that said you idiot
LINE BREAK
The awkward silence went on for what felt like years, everyone was just staring at me like I was a gerbil who had just learned to talk.
Finally, the Wizard looking man spoke.
"Our guest is correct, introductions are in order" The wizard gave me a kind smile that I swear I've seen before, but the harder I tried the more the memories seemed to slip away.
"I'll start then!" Featherhat stood up and flashed me a smile so white and charming he could've been in a toothbrush commercial. "I am Robin Hood, leader of the Merry Men, member of the council, and perfect Englishman."
Okay so that seemed to all make sense. I knew who that was, Robin Hood was the whole 'Rob from the rich and give to the poor guy'. Robin Hood gave a polite bow and took a seat.
"I am Merlin Ambrosius, Wizard, and member of the council." I smiled to myself a little. I knew that he was a wizard.
"I am Markov Grimm, Head of the Council." Said Beardman.
I didn't know who that was.
"You're not a uh-"
"No. I am not a fairytale." I shrank in my seat, I could feel the poison that accompanies those words.
After another silence, I realized that they were waiting for me to speak.
"I'm Percy, and I don't really remember much." This introduction didn't seem to have any effect on the council, except for Merlin who stroked his beard.
"I found him outside The Rabbit Hole, I knew he was there because two Wolfmen I was tracking were talking about the smell of fresh blood." Toby had stood to speak. I was relieved to see that the attention of the Council had switched to Toby.
"And you just brought him into The Lodge? He could be a spy!" Markov, the beardman, scolded. Toby visibly winced and I felt bad for him. I didn't like Markov.
"Well it's difficult to explain father, but Percy feels, different." Toby tried to explain. I was a little surprised as I looked between Toby and Markov, now that I knew, I began to notice some similarities between the two. Then I felt like an idiot for not knowing as soon as Markov introduced himself with the same last name.
Markov was about to open his mouth with what would surely be another venomous scolding when Merlin put a hand on his shoulder. Merlin stood and flashed Toby and I another kind smile.
"Tobias is correct Markov, I too can sense something about this here Percy. And besides, if Percy weren't who he said he was, I'm sure Tobias would've been able to figure it out."
I liked Merlin.
"Now I'm sure our young guest has questions." Merlin's gaze now shifted to me.
"So you guys are like, the actual Merlin and Robin Hood? Like from the movies and all that?"
Merlin and Robin both chuckled a little bit, and Robin Hood answered me.
"Well yes, we are like, the actual like, real deal. From the stories mind you, they didn't have the cinema back in my day." Robin said with a small chuckle and a grin. Robin Hood had a mischievous smile, like he was always up to no good. Another pang of familiarity raced through me, like it reminded me of something.
"Okay, so, where are we exactly?" I asked.
"The Lodge, primary headquarters of the Huntsmen." Merlin answered.
"Alright, now what are the Huntsmen?"
Markov answered this question.
"The Huntsmen are an organization that has existed to keep the world in balance for many years." His deep booming tone reminded me of a soldier.
"In balance between what?"
"The world of the Fairytales and the world of the Mundane. We make sure that the two sides remain at peace. We make sure that the Mundane never discover the existence of the Fairytales, and that the Fairytales never overstep their boundaries."
"But didn't the Fairytales all happen like, hundreds of years ago? How are you guys still alive?" I felt a little guilty for asking this question.
"It's all rather complicated, and exists on a fairly case-by-case scenario, but we are essentially ageless, we exist as we want to, for as long as we want to." Merlin answered. "When one of us is killed, we usually are reincarnated or something or other."
"Woah" The thought of immortality seemed a little dizzying.
"Enough questions, the council is now going to depart and discuss what is to be done with our, guest." Markov stood, the word guest was said in the same way he might say gym shorts, the crinkle in his face agreed with this.
One by one the Councilmen stood. Merlin and Robin both gave polite bows while Markov just turned and walked away. Eventually all three filed out of the far door, which closed with a thud.
"Well, that was, fun." I said. Toby gave me a strange look, but said nothing.
"So that's your dad?" I asked him. Toby's face contorted into a face of displeasure like he just smelled something disgusting.
"Yup, Markov Grimm, Lord of the Huntsmen, father of the year." Toby smiled a little while his voice dropped with sarcasm.
"Must be tough."
"Fathers man, they're never the best."
I couldn't agree more, but I wasn't sure why.
A/N: So I re uploaded the first chapter and edited it slightly since I wasn't too satisfied for what I originally had written.